DFLA General

"Can't Buy Paul" - For the people in Arkansas' 2nd Congressional District

Paul Spencer has a track record of fighting for ethics in government, for transparency, and fighting for life. Paul has publically stated that he will decline DNC money rather than change his pro-life stance. This and other stands against influence-buying have led to the slogan "Can't Buy Paul".

A teacher and farmer, he sees firsthand the disconnect between so many national policies and the concerns of ordinary Arkansans. Those concerns include whole life issues, such as no public funding of abortion and the right of health care workers to decline participation in abortions.

Following the infamous Citizens United v. FEC ruling, Paul formed a local group in Arkansas called Regnat Populus, echoing Arkansas’s state motto “The People Rule.” Regnat Populus harnessed growing public frustration with the corrupting influence of money in the political process and inability of the average citizen to have voice in political outcomes. The group successfully influenced the passage of an Ethics Amendment in 2012.

With the help of others, Paul also co-founded the Arkansas Democracy Coalition to streamline and collaborate organizational voices against dark money and corruption in politics.

Nat Hentoff was a friend and supporter of Democrats For Life of America and served on our Advisory Board for several years. A writer for the Village Voice for more than 50 years, he held a liberal orthodoxy. His passion was jazz and he frequently wrote about his love of music, including several books. He was a fierce advocate for free speech, and strongly opposed abortion. The intersection of these two principles coincided in the early 1990’s.

In 1992, after Governor Robert Casey of Pennsylvania was prevented from speaking at the Democratic National Convention about abortion, Hentoff hosted the governor at the historic Cooper Union so he would have an opportunity to share his views on abortion. However, the governor was once again silenced by a group of “hooligans” who “made all speech except their own inaudible.”

In addition to opposing abortion, Hentoff defended the rights of peoplel with disablities and the elderly. His consistently well-thought writings and advocacy for human rights will be missed.

Senator Chuck Colgan retired from the Virginia state senate in 2015, at the young age of 89. Part of me wonders if he stayed there because he was the lone pro-life Democrat in the Virginia senate.

He was the longest-serving member of the Virginia state senate. First elected in 1975, he served in the leadership as the president pro tempore and budget conferee.

He was quiet but effective, not only willing but also encouraging of working across party lines for the good of the state. We hope we can find a pro-life Democrat to fill Senator Chuck Colgan's very big shoes and the hole left in our state legislature.

In representing pro-life Democrats within the true "big tent" party, DFLA works across a broad spectrum of life ethics. We recognize that people of good faith have different approaches to these issues; therefore, we refuse to use a single issue as a "litmus test" to exclude those who would otherwise seek common ground with us on the expansion of human rights.

We encourage all people committed to the common good to work together to protect human life at all of its stages.

The goal of this site is to be a resource for pro-life Democrats across the United States. How can we help you, and how can you help DFLA? A great place to start is to sign up for our newsletter and to check out the information below:

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DFLA Mission Statement

Democrats For Life of America advocates and supports programs and policies that respect and promote life from conception to natural death. This includes, but is not limited to, opposition to abortion, capital punishment, and euthanasia. Learn more...